


Fangan Ronpa: An Ode to the Wronged (CANCELLED)

by Irirus



Series: An Ode to the Wronged [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Depression mention, Disablilities, F/F, F/M, Fangan Ronpa, Gen, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Other, Suicide mention, Swearing, This Is Gonna Take A While, What did you expect It's Dangan Ronpa, extreme violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 23:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13646280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irirus/pseuds/Irirus
Summary: A large facility is locked with people still inside. 16 to be exact.The participants are on edge as to escape the facility, they must kill each other but each and every one of them is talented... or are they. Waking up in said facility with no memories whatsoever, our protagonist must lie to everyone he sees to avoid being suspicious but at the same time making connections to avoid being murdered.Will our protagonist be able to survive the killings?Permanent hiatus.Find art and updates on Tumblr at: https://ode-to-the-wronged.tumblr.com/Currently on: Act 1 - A Cracking Start





	1. Prologue - The Awakening

Tears are in my eyes; the table I'm at has a dark stain where my head was. Why was I crying? My mind feels like it’s paper being ripped and shredded into a thousand pieces.

I don't remember _anything_.

There’s dust on my fringe that’s covering my eye but I can still see through it. My white jeans also have dust markings on them, almost as if the chairs and tables hadn’t been used in years. After dusting my jeans, I checked my pockets to find eyeliner and a piece of scrap paper with writing on it to which I read and put back in my pocket. It made no sense.

I look around and see a classroom that seems so familiar yet so unknown. The tables and chairs are arranged like they’d just been used, yet covered in dust that with each touch brings forth another layer.

The chalkboard is at the front of the room and has writing scrawled in every corner but it’s very faded. It hasn’t been touched in a while. I tried to erase the writing but it wouldn’t come off, almost as if it was ingrained onto the board.

The edge of the classroom, where windows would be, is bare. It feels like they’ve been removed recently as there is a discolouration in the moulded whitewashed walls. Perfect clean square patches in identical places on the wall. _How strange._

Walking over to the exit, most people would feel afraid, like their heart was pounding out of their chest. They’re in an unknown place. They can’t remember anything. Me? I just feel groggy ~~(maybe a little pissed that I know nothing)~~ but other than that… I’m just tired.

I grabbed the door handle and turned it... the door didn't open. Was it jammed? Fiddling with the door a little more I came to the deduction that it was locked so I looked around of a key of some kind that could fit into the keyhole.

I checked: the desks, the teacher's desk, any chairs and I even checked behind the weird posters on the wall promoting a "healthy learning environment". This place is very strange.

The key was a lost cause so I can up with the next best idea. I should bust down the door.

That was a bad idea. I know that I'm not the strongest or tallest around ~~(4"11 when checked against the height chart on the wall)~~ but the door looks so old that it could break from a simple tap. I ran my fingers through my hair from frustration.

That's it!

I realised I had a hairpin in so that my vision isn't entirely blocked by my fringe. Shoving the hairpin in the keyhole and wiggling it proved no avail but on the other side of the door, I heard footsteps. It wasn't just one person though. I'd say two, maybe three. There was talking on the other side.

"So, can you get it open?" A boisterous voice spoke, it scared me how loud it was but, I'm assuming it's a guy’s voice from how deep it was.

"Is my talent, not the 'Ultimate Thief'?" Spoke an upbeat girl.

"You could be lying." Another voice pitched, I'm guessing it's another guy but it's more fast-paced and quiet.

"I am though!"

"You're lying?" The deep-voiced guy practically shouted.

"No! I mean I'm the Ultimate Thief. You're so loud. Hairpin?"

"Here," Said the quick voice, "Prove it."

"Aren't guys meant to be kind to girls?" The 'Thief' mumbled as I heard fiddling with the door.

"Gender roles don't equate to kindness."

Click.

"Done," The door swung open to reveal a girl with dreadlocks, back turned to me, doing jazz hands, "Tada! Say, why'd you want the door open anyway?"

"Turn around." The guy grinned with his raven hair in a man bun and shaved sides.

She turned around and her eyes widened at my presence.  
"Woah! It is a guy, a girl or... something else?" She had a mischievous grin on her bronze coloured face with the scar on her right eye scrunched up.

There was an unsettling silence: like I was being examined from every angle visible to them like they were hawks circling me, like they were convicts preparing to beat me up.  
"Who are you?" The guy with a sorrel afro blurted out. His green eyes still bored into me, like I was on trial for a murder. They looked even more menacing as the rim of his glasses hid the light in his eyes.

My voice stumbled, the words wouldn't come out.

I don't know who I am.

It never occurred to me till now that I don't know... ~~I'm scared.~~ They look like they'll kill me for giving a wrong answer so I'll just make up a name.

No.

I'll use the word on the scrap paper I found, that way I already have it written down if I forget.

**"I'm Sano."**

Almost instantly, he replied.

"Just 'Sano'." All I could do was nod; my tongue was taken by a cat it seems.

"Okie Dokie. I'm Masuyu Utemaro, the Ultimate Thief. I unlocked the door, ya' know." She may seem happy-go-lucky but she doesn't seem like someone to be reckoned with. Her abs were on full display from her crop top and her shorts but the belts that were attached to them and going down her legs took over my thoughts. They don’t seem practical. ~~Maybe it's for aesthetic?~~

"I'm next," The loud man stepped forward, his sandals smacked against the cold marble floor.

"Hey. I'm Akira Noroshi, the Ultimate Doctor. Come to me if you need help, 'kay?" I simply nodded at him. He still smiled at me with his toothy grin but his dimples and bushy eyebrows made him seem even happier. As he walked back to where he was he pulled up his khaki shorts that revealed his hairy legs and his white doctor's coat. He then re-adjusted his black sports bag on his shoulder. What does he have in it, I wonder?

All that was left was the guy with the afro but he seemed to have changed personality with a smile on his olive face.

"Nice to meet you, Sano. I'm the Ultimate Memory, Ryu Saket. I'm sorry about before, if I was mean or something, I've always just wanted to interrogate someone or just be mean when first meeting someone. Sorry again."

"It's fine." He diverted his attention to the side, idly looking around the classroom I was in, putting his finger to his agape mouth.

Ryu doesn't seem too bad. He wears a white shirt with an unbuttoned blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans and boots but what intrigues me is his hair. It seems to be a storage of some kind with lots of different things in it: pens, a flower, a scroll, an ancient tablet of some kind and other relic-like items. How did he get them and how do they stay there?

"Um... I have a question. What's an 'Ultimate'?"

"You don't know?" Ryu instantly jumped with the reply.

"No. Honestly, I have no idea."

"Hey, Pecker Decker. How would you explain an Ultimate?" Masuyu turned to Akira.

"I'd say, an Ultimate is something that you develop... Argh! I can't explain it." Akira ended up scratching his soul patch in frustration.

"Then what 'bout you, Froski?" Masuyu turned to Ryu and he blurted out his answer with no time to think.

"An ultimate is a job, profession, or activity that you are the best at in either the country or in some cases the world."

"Ey! That's the Ultimate Memory for ya! So, did that answer your question, pal?"  
"Yeah. Thanks but how come you all have ultimate and why'd you address them when meeting someone?"

"We've pretty much met up with 'bout twelve other people and they all had ultimates. Maybe it's just a gathering of ultimates? Say, seeing as we answered your questions, Tears, you should answer some for us. What's your ultimate and how did you get in here? Last I checked, it was locked."

Tears? _~~Shit. I had eyeliner on didn't I. I should have checked before banging on the door, but I guess I couldn't have checked. There were no mirrors or glass or any reflective object in the room. Back to the question.~~_ My mind became blank again. It's almost as if I'm missing things. Did I stumble in and hit my head? But there's nothing around that indicates use... How strange.

"I don't know anything about an ultimate and nothing about how I got here, sorry Akira."

"It's okay. Let's change up the questioning a little. How long have you been here?"  
These are hard questions, ~~I mean, who pays attention to these kinds of things when you've just woken up?~~ I had to answer as truthfully as possible.

"About 5 minutes, I'd say. I don't have a clock or watch so, I don't know." I ended up scratching the back of my neck as I answered, almost instinctively.

"Akira, that's enough interrogation. He might be scared shitless by now but I can't tell. Say, Flat Face, how 'bout you go meet up with Chiyo and some others. They should be in the Cafeter."

~~'Flat Face'? Are they just mocking me now? I know, I don't really show emotions but- fuck it, I could care less about nicknames now.~~

"Don't you mean Cafeteria?"

"She's just saying how it's labelled. The 'ia' on the sign is scratched off. Looks terrible but, what can we do?" Ryu definitely seems to have opened up to me, he's smiling every time he talks to me in a fast-paced speech.

"I'll be going then."

"Oh! Be careful with some people, they’re on edge, they want to go home, generally pissed off… You get what I'm saying."

After the warning from Akira and being told where to go, I headed off to the 'Cafeter'. He wasn't wrong when he said that it was at the very end of the corridor and as Ryu said it was labelled as the 'Cafeter'. They're truthful at least.

Entering the 'Cafeter', I saw a single swivel chair in the centre of the room, the other tables and chairs shoved to the sides. As the door creaked, the chair turned around to reveal a stout girl with long hair. It seemed to be folded and tied up in a messy white bun. Her fringe is pinned up with lots of hair clips and two long bangs framed her face in bubble gum-esque colours.

"Been expectin-" Her grin visibly seemed to drop. "You're not her... When's she gonna get here? Oh well." After monologuing she got up from her chair and bounced towards me, her hair seemed to be leading the way to me. She kept walking till she was a few inches away from me and made a huge smile, looking straight at me. "I'm Chiyo Kazu. The Ultimate Occultist!"

So, this is Chiyo. Her outfit is strange, almost as if it was just thrown together. She wore a black, sleeveless bodysuit with a white cut-out dress over the top which seemed to make a face that what you'd carve into a pumpkin at Halloween. Her black studded boots kept making a jingling noise against the floor as she rocked on her feet, her bright purple tights seemed to reflect the light thrown onto it. It's difficult to look at.

She stuck out her hand for me to shake it and asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm Sano."

“Just one name. Snazzy but the spirits seem to hate it. Talking about who the spirits seem to hate, I need to get prepared."

Chiyo plodded back to her chair and ushered me to move out of the way as she swirled back around. I did as she said but I could hear footsteps smashing against the ground with such intensity that it made someone in the next room poke their head around the corner.

It got louder. Angrier. Deafening.

The stomps got to the room with huffs and puffs like they just ran a kilometre. Chiyo swivelled round saying the same line. "Been expectin- ACK!"

Her sentence was cut short by the fake bleach-blonde wolf pinning her to the ground and grabbing her in a chokehold.

"APOLOGISE!" She screamed, leaving my ears ringing.  
"I'M SORRY!" She lied as the girl with small braids let go of her and almost instantly she had a grin back on her face.

Getting up they both dusted themselves off and Chiyo swiftly left as she said, "Later losers, I'm off to go have some FUN!" She then sang a random song as she skipped down the hallway.

"Fuckin' bitch..." Her blue eyes and neon pink mascara merging to make speed lines as her head whipped around to me; her glare still strong. "Listen, if you're ANYTHING like her you are dead to me. I won't even acknowledge your existence and you'll be nothing more than dust. Got it?!"  
Too afraid to defy, I nodded my head. "Good."

She bent down to pull up her mid-calf socks up, checked her trainer’s laces, adjusted her shorts’ belt then stood up, dusting off her cream crop top. She held her hand out to me and said much calmer than before, "I'm Satoshi Rinkima, the Ultimate Track Star. Nice to meet you?" I grabbed her hand, while her other hand fiddled with her cropped hoodies string, and told her my name.

"I've gotta go because she's probably up to no good,” her words were like venom, “See you later, Sano.”

"Bye." I waved her goodbye and closed the door behind her as she left.

"I have to say, that's the fastest rage recovery that I've seen from Satoshi so far." I turned my head to the next room and saw the person again. Long peach hair in a ponytail with a blue apron. He had a slender face with his eyes closed, he seems the most peaceful out of everyone. He walked closer to me with his hair flowing behind him.

"I'm Tadashi Yasushi, the Ultimate Baker. It's nice to meet you, Sano."

"You overheard then."

"Yes, sorry about that. Oh! Would it be okay if you helped me with the tables? Chiyo messed them all up."

I agreed to help him but he walked back into (what seems to be) the kitchen. "Could you help us, Takara?"

"Yeah." I heard a weak voice from inside the kitchen that sounded like it was going to cry.

Coming out of the kitchen was ~~(what I would assume to be)~~ a natural blonde-haired girl with long curls. Her hair framed her pale face that held scars on her cheeks. The dark blue eyes seemed to already be welling with tears. "Sorry."

"What's there to be sorry about?"

"Um. I haven't introduced myself yet but I overheard both conversations. That's very rude of me." She walked closed and her cowboy boots had turquoise jeans stuffed into them and they clinked against the floor. She pulled up her oversized white jumper sleeve and held out her dainty hand. "I'm Takara Minori. The Ultimate Actress. You're Sano, right?"

I nodded and accepted her unnecessary apology. We got to work putting the tables and chairs back. I didn't realise how tiring it would be. We then went to the kitchen as Tadashi said he had something for us.

He went straight to the counter and grabbed the plate of macaroons that had been cooling.

"Would you two like one?" A smile graced his pale face.

I gratefully accepted but Takara denied as she said that she was on a diet.

“Can I have that then?” A boy sauntered into the room wrapping his arms around Takara’s neck and placing his head on her shoulder. ~~_Playboy._~~

She nodded and placed in his mouth, letting him happily munch on it while still on her shoulder. When he finished it he lifted himself up. _~~He was tall. Not Akira’s level of tall but still tall or maybe I’m just too small.~~_

“Who’s this little charmer. Have you been crying, mon pois de senteur?” He came closer to me and I backed away. I backed into the wall and he placed his hands on the wall next to my shoulder. He still sauntered over me forcing me to look up. Only one question came to my mind.

“Do I know you?”

His response was fast and he had a smirk on his face.

“I’m not a mind reader, mon amour. _Do_ you know me?”

“No.”

“Well, mon ange, I’m Hibiki Aiko and I’m the Ultimate Casanova. It is a pleasure to be in your presence.” His accent was thick and I can only assume that he was calling me things in French on purpose. “So, what might your name be?”

He backed away so Takara and Tadashi could join in the conversation and tousled his brown-to-cream ombre hair.

His brown hoodie had its sleeves rolled up accompanied by a white tank top and both were tight against his slim figure. His fingers played with the sea breeze polka dot wrap around his waist. His shorts went to knees and his trainers were designer.

“I’m Sano.”

Before anyone could say anything, a TV switched on?

We looked at it and saw an ‘audio only’ message on the screen.

“HELLO!”

An obnoxious voice blasted through the speakers, making me cringe from the sheer absurdity and intensity of it.

“Ehm. I would like everybody to meet in the common room in the main sector. Immediately. Don’t be tardy kiddos!”

With the short command-like-message over, we all just stood there in silence. Bewildered.

Takara was the first to break the silence.

“S-should we go then?”

“Oui.”

With that, us four started to head to the common room. Wherever that was.

We walked in complete silence; in fear of what was in store for us…

~~_People are going to think I’m a drama queen or something if I don’t fix my eyeliner soon._ ~~


	2. Prologue - The Meeting

We walked down the elongated winding corridor, past the classroom I woke up in, and through a door that was aptly labelled “Main Sector”. _The sign even had ingrains on it in a weird pattern. Perhaps it was brail but that just raises another question. Are we meant the only ones here?_ Apparently, the sector I was in was called the “development sector”. Such a strange name.

I went to the bathroom as soon as I saw it and told the rest I’d catch up with them. There must be at least one mirror in there, _right?_

Well… I was right about the mirrors but I didn’t think that they’d be broken. The small shards were scattered across the countertops. Before I started, I cleaned out a sink from the dangerous pieces. Using the tiny pieces of the mirrors on the wall wasn't going to work so, I picked up a fairly large piece to work with. This is gonna be tough to put eyeliner on. I washed my face in the sink with the surprisingly clear tap water and started to apply the eyeliner. _~~I could just wash off the stains and leave it alone but it looks nice. SHIT! It’s wonky. These mirrors are the worst.~~_

As I got enraged over the mirror and washed my face again, I heard the bathroom door swing open, revealing a tall ~~(I’m small so almost everyone is going to be taller than me…)~~ and slender guy with beautiful dark skin.

“Need any help?” He chuckled leaving a smile on his face as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Please,” I replied, “The mirrors here are shit.”

He strode over in his blue jeans that were folded at the bottom, his fishnet tights were visible through the rips. Propping himself on the sink, he leant over, took the eyeliner from me and started applying the wings.

“I know what you mean, Sweetie. It’s a pain trying to do anything with them! It’s even worse when you’re stabbing yourself with piercings because you can’t find the hole.”

Now that I look at him, his face was covered in piercings: his lip, his eyebrow, even his bridge but the most heavily pierced area was his ears with cuffs and spikes protruding from every direction.

“There. All done, Honey Bun!” He handed me back the eyeliner but, he kept leaning against the sink, his designer trainers still crossed with each other. He gasped, “I feel so rude right now. I don’t even know your name.” His bark-brown eyes still stared into mine.

“I’m Sano.” ~~I’ve said that too many times today.~~

“That’s a nice name. I’m Michi Nobuyuki, the Ultimate Apparel Designer.” That explains the fancy clothes, I mean, he’s wearing a cape shirt.

Oh, God. I messed up. There was an awkward silence and he was still looking at me so I just turned my head to the side and decided to say, out of all things, “Good name.”

He looked so bewildered. His eyes were wide and his shaped eyebrows were raised. Was he insulted? Maybe not…

After a few seconds, he burst into a fit of laughter and looked away with a blush on his face. He muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t make out.

“Let’s heard to the gathering.” He grabbed my hand and led me out of the bathroom. I was too surprised to react so I let him take me into the common room, still holding my hand. ~~It was really soft…~~

It wasn't that far though as the bathrooms were in the 'Sector Transition' area where there were stairs and a map of where we were. We separated as I looked around but I had to ask him something,  
“Michi. How come you didn’t press any further on my name and talent?”  
He lent against the wall and looked upwards as he said, “If you want to give details, then you give details. If don’t, you don’t,” he tousled his hair as he finished off with, “Boundaries aren’t meant to be crossed without permission.” He kicked himself forward before walking to the door, only looking back before he opened it.

The common room almost seemed like a shopping mall. There was a huge glass ceiling with sunlight streaming through, allowing the dust particles floating in the air to seem like sparkles in the ginormous room. Whitewashed walls were barren except for the doors and signs that led to other sectors, the most decorations being the balconies on the second floor. Scattered around the room were metal chairs and tables in groups of four, each with a flower pot in the centre of the table. In the middle of the room was an enormous tree with its branches outstretched, taking most the of the light from the sun. Fairy lights were strung on the elm tree with each branch lit up as if was our sun.

Gathered underneath the tree were fourteen people, each very different to one another. I already knew half of them and some were even smiling and beckoning me over. Only after taking it all in Michi walked over to them and I swiftly followed. Some were glaring at me for my tardiness, it seems. Chatter consumed the group before something jumped down from one of the branches of the tree.

Landing on the terracotta floor with a clink was a small Takuni plush with deep red eyes and a singular tooth sticking out over its lower lip. It stayed still until we all came close to it as it jumped in the air with a "YAHOO!", screamed, revealing its sharp teeth ... The voice sounds the same as the voice blasted through the tv in the development sector's kitchen.

Its beady eyes blunk wildly before a whirring sound came from the plush. Suddenly the jarring noise stopped and the Tanuki happily said, "Goodie! Everyone's here. Now let's get the orientation started."  
A guy with almost soulless eyes spoke for all of us as he said, "Orientation?"  
"CORRECT! You, Mr Ninomiya, get a sticker." The small Tanuki walked up to the blue haired guy, jumped up and slapped a sticker on his chest, making him stumble back a little, that said, "A+ SHITLOCK" inside a cloud.  
"Continuing on, I'm Nuki and welcome to the facility where you'll be spending the rest of your lives." His nonchalant attitude was drastically different to what he was saying. The happy-go-lucky attitude instilled me with a fear that I couldn't remember feeling before. It felt like my world was crumbling so that this 'facility' was all that was left. It made the place feel so much smaller. I wasn't the only one that felt the fear though. Looking around, the group's faces all visibly dropped and became terrified. What as even worse is that the two happiest people I've met, Masuyu and Akira, both looked mortified at what was said.

"Next, there's something I need to give to you all!" Nuki then marched towards the tree, its arms swinging back and forth like walking in a parade; the mischievous smile still beaming. When it arrived at the trunk, it climbed onto its tiptoes and kept slapping the tree, as if it would open up. It gave up with a sigh. Stepping forward a tanned girl with a bionic arm, picked up Nuki and held it close to the tree so that a hidden compartment could be opened. “Thank you, Miss Watamote. Your help was greatly appreciated. Here you go!” It twirled in her hands only to place a sticker that said, “Good Girl” on her muscular left bicep. Putting Nuki back down, the girl nodded with a grunt and walked back to Ryu who had a concerned look on his face. He whispered up into her ear but I couldn’t hear what he said over Nuki’s obnoxious voice.

Plodding around, Nuki handed out a tablet to everyone. “This is called an ‘EFII’ which is short of ‘Electronic Form of Identification and Information’...” The plush blubbered on about the EFII like a proud parent, explaining each and every part in meticulous detail. To summarise: EFII has information on you that you know, information about the people you meet that you find out, a map, the facility rules and a messaging app that already has everyone entered as a contact. There’s also a ‘Files’ app but, for some reason, it can’t be accessed. I’ll have to interrogate Nuki on that later.

Suddenly, Nuki stopped in tracks and his beady red eyes gazing into nothing. Slowly rotating his head, he faced all 16 of us, a sadistic smile on his face. “You guys can leave if you want...”  
“We can?” Chiyo questioned with her head tilted.  
“Don’t be an idiot. There’s gonna be a but,” Satoshi spat at her. There was a visible twang of pain on her round face. Chiyo looked like she was going to cry before Nuki twisted around the rest of his body and started to talk again.  
“To leave is very simple. Just kill someone.”  
The shock was visible on everyone’s face. It took a while before it processed.  
_Kill?_  
_Kill someone here?_  
_Kill or you could be killed?_  
_Kill?_  
_Kill._

The word was stuck in a loop in my head. How could I kill someone to leave.  
We all want to leave but we don’t want to leave anyone behind. _ ~~.. do we?~~_  
Looking around, we all stood there with wide eyes. We all had just processed what was said. _**Kill to escape.**_

“We won’t.”  
A small girl stepped forward, her wedges clicked on the cold floor. She stood with her hands on her hips as she continued in her high pitched voice laced with authority, “Why should we listen to you? Your just a stuffed tanuki.”  
A sound of metal being shaved rang throughout the common room. Nuki, the harmless tanuki, brought out humongous claws and with a sadistic smile, as he spoke with danger leaking out of it.  
“ _Just_ a stuffed animal? I’m so much more than that, can't you _see?_ I’m your ruler, your dictator, your overseer while you're here, so... Miss Tsu-Na, I don’t appreciate what you're saying and if you know what’s good for you, I wouldn’t say that I’m just a stuffed tanuki.” With a large jump, Nuki was in front of the girl’s face. He slapped a sticker on her cheek but when withdrawing his hand, his vicious claws scratched her face, destroying the sticker. The blood trickled and obscured the rest of the bound-to-be crude sticker. “Take that as a warning to you all.”

She stumbled backwards into Akira arms, her face was in disbelief and one of her pale green eyes twitched. Her frail hand traced the faint marks that left her bright pink blood in streaks down her freckled face. Akira propped her back on her feet but she stood as still as a mouse in pure bewilderment.

Nuki stared with his small eyes at us all once more as he continued with his point, “Just kill to leave. Kill your friend, kill your enemy, kill your lover, kill your brother, kill your sister. Just kill someone and you can go.” He pointed to each and everyone one of us as he listed off the possibilities. He also listed methods of death, “stabbing, bludgeoning, drowning, burning, crushing.” And listed at least 16 different ways to kill. We all continued to stand and stare with lifeless eyes at him. It’s all we could do in this situation.  
“I’m leaving if y'all're gonna be this boring. See ya!” With a jump and a few climbing of branches, Nuki was gone in the tree.

We did nothing for a while after he left. All we did was either, stare at where Nuki left from or stare at the ground, still absorbed in thought. To kill another...

No.  
We won’t do that...

Not on my watch.  
It’s best to meet the people we’re trapped with.

Eventually, people separated into small groups. I was grabbed by Ryu and dragged over to three others as ‘They want to meet the mysterious new guy’. One of the people was Masuyu, a mischievous grin on her face as she re-introduced herself, not only to me but to the two others there. Another was the guy who has the sticker slapped on his chest, which was ripped off, torn to shreds and placed on the nearest table. The ‘A+’ was still intact but next to it, neatly stuck to the wooden table was the ‘Good Girl’ sticker.  
The other person _was_ the girl who got the other sticker, the one who helped Nuki before. She was incredibly tall, I’d say she’s over 6 foot.  
The guy introduced himself first,  
“I’m Isao Ninomiya and I’m the Ultimate Horror Novelist.” He does seem quite spooky with his almost black eyes which were made even scarier as no light reflected off of them. His choppy blue hair was kept under wraps by his brown beanie with multiple holes from different pins. His pins seemed to have faces on them... strange. His outfit was regular, red canvas shoes, black jeans, red button-up shirt and a grey jumper with a white stripe.

The other girl then pointed to herself and said, “Yorokobi Watamote. Hunter.” The left side of her head was shaved with patterned imbued into it with the other side long, untamed in its dirty blonde waves. Her tanned face was covered with tribal markings in reds and whites. The sleeves of her dirty shirt were rolled up and her green tie was kept down by a small hair clip. She wore green shorts with mud all up the backside off them as well as up the ripped grey thigh highs she wore. Her walking boots were scuffed from overuse. Her right arm was completely made out of machinery but in the crevasses of it had flowers. There were also flowers in her shirt pocket, her short’s pockets and in some of the holes in her thigh highs.

I introduced myself to them and we all talked about our situation. Masuyu made weird jokes, Ryu jumped from topic to topic, Isao pitches in occasionally and Yorokobi gave each of us a flower from her pocket. I placed mine one of my hair grips so stayed in my hair.

Before long, I was picked up by the back of my jumper. Dangling, I looked to my right to see the friendly giant, Akira, with a large grin on his face.  
“Sorry guys but I’m stealing this one.”  
  
“But thievery’s my thing! I thought you were cool, dude...” Masuyu pouted.  
Shocked, Akira stumbles back with me still in his grip.  
  
“I am cool though... Oh well, can’t deter from the orders.” Akira waved the group goodbye but I was confused so I asked about it. “S’from two gals who wanna meet you. Kinda ‘cause I told ‘em ‘bout you but they’re nice. You’ll like ‘em.”  
I gulped down my fear and let Akira put me down so I could walk with him instead of looking like a freshly caught game.

We walked over to two girls and one of them instantly caught my eyes with her green hair in a messy bun. Actually, she looked a lot like Michi, similar brown eyes, shaped black eyebrows, dark skin but a small smile was proudly displayed on her face. She didn’t in any way, wear flashy clothes though. She wore a light green oversized jumper with one shoulder showing, a white tank top strap protruded from the gap. Her neck bared a black choker with a longer necklace that went underneath her jumper. Her leg muscles were clearly visible from her dark navy sports leggings and her white trainers made a squeak on the ground as she shifted her feet.

The other was the girl who stepped forward earlier. Akira had but a bandage on her cheek and the sticker scraps were left on the ground in three neat peals. The short girl had her black hair in a low ponytail with her hime bangs framing her face. She wore a light blue jumpsuit that cut off at her mid-thighs with large sleeves that widened as they went down. She was still afraid. That much was noticeable from her trembling legs, so much that she had to remove her heels so she wouldn’t fall over. Her bushy eyebrows showed that she was still in pain from Nuki but the large, dark bags under her eyes made her look even worse. I'd say that was why the other girl tended to her and held her hand.

As I came closer, they both turned to me to which Akira introduced them.  
“The green girl is Machapitchu, and the shortie is Queen Kagsalot!” He bowed like a servant as he mockingly introduced them.  
The green haired girl sighed before she properly introduced herself, “I’m Macha Nobuyuki, the Ultimate Choreographer.”  
  
The other girl looked at me warily before taking a deep breath. She walked closer to me and stuck out her hand, “I’m Kagi Tsu-Na and I’m the Ultimate Astrologist. It’s nice to meet you, Sano, Akira has told us about you.” Her leader like air came back to her as she stood there with a pout and a determined glare on her face. I shook her hand before Akira picked her up and held her like a teddy bear. She seemed to accept her situation as she turned her head and started talking to Akira who had walked off with her to a different group. All we got was a small wave goodbye from Kagi behind his back as she poked her head over his shoulder.

We waved her off but I was interested in something, “Macha, are you Michi’s sibling?” She folded her arms as she nodded.

“I saw you walking in with him so I guess your friends, right?”  
_Are_ we friends?  
  
“Um. I think we are.”  
  
“Then you are his friend. He’s friends with pretty much everyone he meets.” We both ended up looking at him but I got lost looking at the pain that was slightly visible Macha’s brown eyes. “He’s calling you over. Go.” He was shouting my name and waving with his large grin.  
  
“I’ll talk to you later Macha.” She simply nodded as I walked away but I could still feel her gaze on me. It hurt.

Michi wrapped his arm around me as he introduced people to me.  
First was Yuri Yamamoto, the Ultimate Barista, whose icy blue glare is sharper than glass. Her brown hair was in a short bob with the front of it in two buns. She pushed up her glasses as she traced a section of her skin around her eye that was a different pigment. She scrunched up her nose, shifting her septum piercing as she shuffled with her large turquoise cardigan so that she could cross her arms. The cardigan didn’t go over the shoulders as to showcase the fur lining on her plain black dress. Her thigh highs cut off just a bit below where her dress stops and her heels were white with a small bell on each. Without those heels, she’d be about 4”11, my height. She refused to speak to me and just clicked her tongue at me as she turned away.

The other was a slightly chubby guy called Umeno Tansenden, the Ultimate Jazz Star. The most peculiar thing about him was his face; it was barely visible from his skull mask. There were, however, two large holes for his eyes that displayed his incredibly pale green eyes, a section of his dark freckled skin and his red eyebrows so he could show feeling through the smug skeleton mask but his areg eyebags were also prominent. He wore a black hoodie with a grey glitch pattern on the sleeves. His dark red jeans were baggy but tight around the thighs and he wore slip on blue shoes. It was a bit awkward but Umeno started up the conversation with his deep smooth voice.  
“So... um, you're Sano, right?”  
“Yeah. I’m guessing Michi told you.”  
  
Yuri interjected and the snootiness of her voice was more than I expected. “No, but it was obvious. He shouted you over here.” Her glare was still as intense as it was when I first came into the common room.  
We kept going with the slow conversation but Michi didn’t contribute. He just stared at the tree. He was afraid. That much was noticeable from his shaking hand on my shoulder. I raised my hand and placed it on his, comforting him to which a smile came on his face.

After a while, the group all came together underneath the central tree to converse about our situation. We didn't know where to start until Macha pitched in and asked about the rules app that was mentioned by Nuki. Overall, there were seven rules:

1\. Participants must remain in the facility at all times.

2\. Nighttime is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some doors will be off-limits at night and will be locked as soon as the announcement is complete.

3\. There are no limits to your exploration of the facility.

4\. Acts of violence to the overseer is strictly forbidden and will be acted upon with the appropriate punishment.

5\. Killing a fellow participant will guarantee the killer's escape if they are not exposed.

6\. The overseer will not kill a participant unless clause 22 is fulfilled in the Master EFII's rules.

7\. Rules are subject to change at any time.

After questioning the rules with no way to know answers we gave up and left to explore the facility. Maybe I should explore the facility with someone else?

_~~Today is going to be a long day...~~ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sano, you smol bean. I love my non-binary baby.  
> Besides that, Who should we explore with?  
> Vote here: https://www.strawpoll.me/15248899
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER: 11th April.
> 
> While we're at it, why not guess who'll kill first, die first, survive or be the mastermind.  
> Mastermind: https://www.strawpoll.me/15248981  
> Survivor: https://www.strawpoll.me/15249010  
> Die first: https://www.strawpoll.me/15249029  
> Kill first: https://www.strawpoll.me/15249059
> 
> Don't forget to check my Tumblr for art and updates on An Ode To The Wronged. Feel free to ask me stuff or message me there too: https://ode-to-the-wronged.tumblr.com


	3. Act 1, Scene 1 - A Cracking Start

Most had split up into small groups to explore the area, while others, like myself, went on their own. We were all looking to avoid the main 'means of escape'. Nuki was just... joking, right?

My feet ended up taking me back to the development sector. I didn't really have time to look around at the other rooms. Maybe I could find some sort of exit there.

The corridor seemed a lot more desolate than before. The whitewashed walls seemed colder to the touch. The marble floor echoing even more, almost like a cave.

It sends shivers down my spine.  
Looking around, there's nothing on the walls except for the doors and an occasional sign. Why is it so empty here? Shouldn't there be... more?

Click.

Whipping my head around, I see one of the other captives lean against the wall, his head tilted upwards as he let out a sigh. Umeno Tansenden. Maybe I'll investigate with him a little...

Before I even started to walk over to him, he'd already greeted me with a casual, "Yo."  
His deep voice seemed almost unnatural to come out of his skull mask. It made him so... mysterious. What expression was he making? I couldn't tell but I wanted to know.

I lent against the wall opposite him as we talked about our situation.  
"You found anything yet, Sano?" I let out a hefty sigh as I shook my head.  
"Figured..."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" I kicked myself from against the wall and leant on one leg.

Umeno stumbled and waved both his hands at me,  
"S'just that, the robot... thing, wouldn't have done the whole, the kill to escape thing if there WAS a way to escape."  
Leaning back, I smashed my head against the wall as I said,  
"Makes sense now. One of the rules is basically 'explore to your heart's content'. It means that no matter how hard we look, we won't find a way out, right?"  
"Yeah. Well, that's what I think at least..."  
He scratched his dark freckled skin that was peeping out through the mask's eyeholes.

"Or it could just be a way to make us not look because we think that there isn't a way out but there actually is which we'll never find because we didn't look." I slumped down to the floor, my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

"This is just friggin confusing. Say, why don't we have a look around together, after all, two heads are better than one, right?" Umeno took a few steps closer as he stuck out his hand to help me up. His fingernails were chewed down as much as they can, the skin around it scarred.  
I graciously took his hand, "Yeah but don't forget that too many cooks spoil the broth."

He laughed as he agreed. Umeno said that the development sector had already had each and every nook and cranny checked, by Akira, Masuyu and Ryu, before the meeting. We decided instead to head to the living sector.

Everything was different here. The walls were red making the whole place feel warmer. The floor was hardwood with mats and rugs scattered around. There were trophies in display cases and awards adorned on the walls.

Looking closer at the walls there were framed photos of people smiling.  
Umeno took the photo off the wall, his finger traced the people in the picture.  
"Seeing this makes me wanna leave even more." His voice sounded in pain as he placed the photo back. The picture was of Umeno and what I'm guessing to be his family on what seems to be a farm, smiling towards the camera.

I'm curious. Where's my family photo? I can see everyone else's but my own... I don't even know their faces or names though, so maybe it was for the best.

Letting out a sigh, we continued to an open living room like area. There was a large four seat sofa along with two three seaters. It wasn't enough for all of us so bean bags, stools and a wooden storage unit had been prepared as additional seats. In front of it all was a large tv resting on a stand that was only books. Was it cost effective, sure. Was it safe, no.  
At the side of the tv was also a few gaming consoles as well as bookshelves full of games, books, DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes. They really had everything set up for people staying here forever...

I sat down on the sofa and was quickly joined by Umeno. I can't deny, I grew curious about his family so I pried a little.  
"Umeno. What're your parents like?"  
"They're really supportive," That sentence alone was enough to bring pain to my heart. Why though? "I mean, they've supported my music, the constant mask, the late nights and everything else. It wasn't just my parents though..." 

Umeno stood up and walked back to the picture. He pulled it off the wall and sat back down. Looking at his eyes, I could see the pain in them. He was going to cry.

Instinctively, I pulled him closer, rubbing his back and ushered him to continue. His tears started to fall, rushing down his mask like a waterfall, as he carried on with his shaky voice. "My sisters and brothers were the most supportive. They... They helped me so much. Whenever I felt like I couldn't do jack shit, they lightly slapped me and said, "Stop ragging on your self, ya' dumbass!" and then carried on working on the farm. The work that I gave up, to do Jazz."  
With a few muffled sniffles, we sat in a comfortable silence. I don't even know how long we sat there for.

Umeno managed to calm down but his voice still shook a little. "Sano... What's your family like?" He stared right at me, any unease I felt when I first met him just half an hour ago had faded. Stumped at the question, I threw my head back and stared at the ceiling.  
"Honestly, I don't know... I don't remember anything before waking up here."  
"But you remember your name?"  
"No. To be honest, it was just on a piece of paper I found in my pocket. It might be nothing but..."  
"It's better than nothing, right?"  
"Yeah, I guess so..."  
Sitting there for just a little longer, we decided to go and check out our living situation.

We seem to have rooms of our own that can be locked from the inside but not from the outside. There are sixteen each with a nameplate on the door. The rooms are most likely tailored to our home life... which is most likely why I have nothing in my room, except for the basic necessities: bed, dresser, a mirror that's not broken, bathroom and shelves.  
Lots of shelves. They're empty though but they have linings in the dust where something had been for a while... Was there meant to be something here?

Walking into Umeno's room I saw wood panelled walls that matched the floor. Bookshelves were filled with music award trophies, framed music pieces and photos. All the wooden furniture matched with the bed panelling, the dresser and the bookshelves all being made of real hardwood oak. For them all to be real, it must have cost a lot of money... How did they get the money though?  
After having a chat about our rooms we heard an all too familiar run. 

Screeching to a halt at Umeno's door was Satoshi, lightly puffing as she said, "Dinners ready."  
"Wait, dinner? It's too early to have dinner now." Umeno interjected.  
"You do know that it's like, 8 pm. This is a bit late but a good time for some grub," It's already that late? "Go to the common room for the food." After muttering a few curses to herself, Satoshi ran off to go tell more people.

"I'm gonna stay here a little longer... You go ahead Sano, I'll meet ya' there."  
Nodding, I started to walk over to the common room before a heavy arm was draped over my shoulders. His white coat rode up his muscular arm.  
“Hey Forget-me-not, gonna grab some din?” His usual grin was on his face, but he wasn’t fooling me... I could see a tear stain on his cheek.  
“Yeah,” I whispered as I reached up to wipe away the stain.  
Initially startled, a soft smile crept onto his face as he walked ahead.  
“Thanks.”  
“No problem.”

In the common room, a few leaves had fallen onto the newly placed large table underneath the dimly lit tree. Sixteen wooden chairs had been gathered and placed around the table, cushions adorned on each chair for comfort. A few members of the group were already gathered, quietly chatting with each other. Sat alone at the end of the table was Takara; her eyes were weary and puffed from crying.

We were all going to be the same though. Afraid of dying but yearning to leave. 

Me and Akira sat down next to her and simply nodded with sympathetic smiles. I’d say we know how it feels to be taken away from the ones you love but I can’t even remember them.

That fact plagued me throughout dinner. I had to be snapped out of it multiple times and I didn’t even finish my sandwiches before an announcement came on.

“Hey kiddos, it’s 10 pm and you know what that means? It’s nighttime! After the announcement is over, the door leading to other sectors than the living sector as well as a few other rooms will be closed off. No access, whatsoever! So get your asses to bed for a nice early morning. Night, night kids...”

The announcement went in one ear and out the other. I had to be shaken out of it by Tadashi who was the last one there but he promptly walked away.

Sitting there alone, still dazed, I stared at the tree with its faint glowing lights slowly coming to a halt. I rose in the darkness and made my way to my room, using my EFII as a light source.

Locking my door behind me, I got ready and climbed into bed.  
It wasn’t comfortable. Springs poked my back with a creak at every movement, the pillows are flat and the cover isn’t warm.  
It’s the best I have though.

Maybe. Just maybe.  
Tomorrow will be better?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kiddos.  
> So the first day is over and nobody is happy. Next time there’ll be a little more exploration but at an earlier date!!  
> This was going to be a double but exams kinda stopped that. Now we’re up and running again but I think we’ll stick to once a month after this.
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER: 22nd April
> 
> Don't forget to check my Tumblr for art and updates on An Ode To The Wronged. Feel free to ask me stuff or message me there too: https://ode-to-the-wronged.tumblr.com


	4. Act 1, Scene 2 - A Cracking Start

It wasn’t a dream...  
I was still here. In this bad bed. In this ravaged room. In this padlocked place.

5:50

Morning is at 7 am so I had time to kill but I couldn’t sleep again. Waking up in a cold sweat wasn’t the best greeting to the new day. 

Stepping out the steaming shower, I felt refreshed. It didn’t help with the poor amount of sleep I had thought.

Inside the closet was an extravagant amount of different clothes, some that I’d never even think about wearing ~~like a fishnet shirt~~. Settling on a brown oversized turtleneck jumper, I got ready for the day.

6:20

I can’t explore because most places are closed. Knocking on someone’s door at this hour would be a cardinal sin- 

Knock.

I jinxed myself, didn’t I? There’s no harm in opening right... no there’s a lot of harm that could come from opening. Like Nuki said, “Stabbing, bludgeoning, drowning, punching”... Plus I’m not the most athletic person so I can’t defend myself. 

Knock, knock.

Who would it be at this hour? Don’t they think everyone else is asleep? Wait.

Could they- no. I can’t think like that.

Opening the door, the knocker had zoned out in front of my door.

“Kagi... What are you doing?”  
She snapped back to reality with her face coated in surprise. With a quick response in need, Kagi snapped back,  
“I could ask you the same thing! Your shower woke me up...”

The walls are quite thin, it seems.

“Sorry to wake you.”  
“It’s fine, I got a good hour in.”  
“Just one hour?”  
“Yeah, I tend to stay up late but that just means that more things can be done!” She placed her hands on her hips like a proud kid before letting herself in and plopping onto on the bed.  
“Your bed's pretty crappy... S’better than mine though.” She yawned as she rubbed her eye.  
“What’s your bed like, then?”  
“Come see.”

Grabbing my hand, Kagi dragged me out of the room, leading me to hers which was right next door. Rattling the door a few times with a sigh, she turned to me with an emotionless stare. “It’s jammed...” I was taken aback by her statement. Didn’t she just come out of there? “This happens sometimes. Just need someone strong to burst it open... Mind if I say in your room till then?”  
“Sure.”

I never realised Kagi was still in her star-themed pyjamas. The drawstring on her shorts undone, keeping back the front of her oversized galaxy shirt. Her ponytail was messier than before; loose strands more prominent than before. Teal tiny toenails made a small tapping noise on the floor as she made her way to the desk. Spinning around in the chair, she grazed to a halt with her anklet making a small chime from the collision of the charms. In her small freckled arms, she held the desk clock.

“6:24... Might as well plan the day.” A delicate yawn escaped her mouth as she muttered something foreign.  
“So what're you going to do today, Kagi?”  
“Usual stuff, ya know-“  
“How can it be usual if this is only the second day?”  
She raised from the chair with irritation seething from her face.  
“You woke up in a bad mood. If you really want to know, I’m just quick to adjust to bad situations. This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to death, so I don’t want anyone to die at any and all costs.” 

Her face was but a few inches from mine, a whistling sound coming from her button nose. Flicking her forehead made her retract with a bewildered look.

“Why’d ya do that?!” Kagi angrily exclaimed as she stomped on the ground.  
“I was just asking how you could have adjusted so fast. There’s no need to get angry.”  
“I only got angry because you interrupted me... Maybe I thought wrong about you, Sano.”

Sitting back down in the chair she swirled away, not looking back for a few minutes. I could hear faint sobbing though, but knowing Kagi, she’d try and shrug it off. It’s what most leaders are like. Brushing off the little things to not let the underlings know when something’s wrong. “Sano...”

The light dimly flickered before she continued, “Do you think we’ll actually be able to leave here?..” Her voice was shaky but she tried to stay strong. She really did act like a leader.

“I... I think we’ll be able to leave. Not right now... but soon. That’s what I hope for, at least.”  
“Hope,” she let out a small snicker, “Haven’t heard that in a while.”  
She doesn’t sound alright... Maybe I should cheer her up. I remember that at some point during dinner, Akira said something about Kagi being a total nerd for anything space related. 

“So Kagi, what’s astrology all about?” I could almost tell that her eyes would be glowing just from the topic alone.

“Astrology is the study of the movement of stars to which, if analysed correctly, can be used to predict and perform divinations for human-affairs.” During her explanation, she rocked on the swivel chair but due to her excitement, she crashed onto the floor with a loud thud. I could see her eyes. The edges were bloodshot; a stark contrast to her bright green eyes. I never really noticed how dark the bags underneath her eyes were. With one hour of sleep being ‘good’, I can see how... Ignoring her situation on the floor, Kagi kept rambling about astrology. Until she suddenly stopped. 

Loud stomps could be heard from next door as we heard a crash of a door being smacked. Before I realised, my door had come flying off its hinges and onto the floor.

Standing out of breath in the doorway was Akira. He stood in nothing but plaid bottoms with his hair loose and in a curled mess. His grey eyes held a wild look in his eyes.  
“WHAT’S GOING ON IN HERE?!”  
We were both bewildered by Akira’s sudden intrusion.

“What do you mean, Doc?” Still frantic, Akira speedily replied with,  
”There was a thud and then I could hear nothing and I thought something bad happened and I got really worried!” Out of breath from his statement, Akira placed his back on the door frame and slowly slid down.  
With some words of reassurance, Akira’s eyes closed as he fell asleep in the doorway. His slumber didn’t last long though. 

BING BONG BING BONG 

“HEYA KIDDOS! RISE AND SHINE ~  
It’s seven am... So, get up and greet the sun!”

With there being no tv in my room, I was confused but it seems that there’s an intercom in the top corner. Nuki has to have an overbearing presence in every room...

Jolted from his sleep, Akira jumped up with a bear-like yawn. With a deep breath, Akira started to head back to his room to,  
“Greet the sun with a big fuckin’ grin!”  
“Oh, Akira, before you go, can you open my door please?”  
“S’jammed again?”  
With a quick nod, Akira bashed open Kagi’s door and left to his next door.  
“Right, let’s go to my room!”  
Leading me by the hand, Kagi showed me her room.

No wonder the door got jammed... The floor was scattered with crumpled pieces of paper, pens, pencils and books of varying sizes and weights. The corner of the room had an overflowing closet with what seems to be a random assortment but most likely some sort of memorabilia. The room had no bed. It did, however, have a pull-out sofa in the middle of it with blankets and pillows chucked onto it. In its entirety, the room was far from habitable but looking up showed the true appeal. The ceiling was clear as the sun rising was clearly visible, the different hues almost mesmerising.

As I stood in awe, Kagi made small noises with her mouth as she rocked on the balls of her feet.  
She doesn’t seem to like silence but it was a while before she said,  
“The bane of my existence is up there...” Her eyes twinkled like the stars that were slowly fading away above.

After staring for a while, Kagi slapped herself, I assume, in an effort to wake up. “Right, Sano can you leave now? I have to get ready!”  
“Right, I’ll see you later Kagi...”  
“Goodbye.”  
With a small wave, the door was slammed behind me as I walked to my room.

Ba-ding

Huh? My EFII made a noise... I turned it on.

From: Star-bomb  
To: All ya’ll fuckers  
Good morning everyone. There will be a compulsory meeting in the common room in 10 minutes.

After a few seconds replies were flooding in from everyone, each with a different crude nickname.  
I can only assume who people are but some are very... different. Someone is called “420”.  
Before I could contemplate the weird nicknames any further, I got a personal message from someone.

From: Super Creep  
To: Who this???  
If my assumption is correct, this is Sano.  
If so please meet me in the common room, underneath the tree, as soon as possible.  
Thank you for your time.

With a sigh, I replied back.

From: Who this???  
To: Super Creep  
This is Sano.  
I’m on my way.

As I made my way to the common room, I questioned the nickname. “Who this???”... even the nickname was mocking me for not remembering.

Sat on top of a table, underneath the central tree was Isao. He turned his head and gave me a small nod towards me.  
Moving closer, I asked him,  
“Are you really called ‘Super Creep’ in the messenger?”  
“Yes. All the names seem to be derogatory, that might be why you're called "Who this" with very poor grammar. Anyway, I called you here earlier to ask you something.” With a pause I assume he was waiting for a response as his black eyes stared at me, no life visible.  
“Go on.”  
“If possible, I’d like to explore with you today.”  
“Why me in specific though?”  
“You seem somewhat reliable plus, as far as I can tell, backstabbing doesn’t seem to be on your agenda.”  
He seems to be very quick to assume or a great judge of character. Either way, I agreed. It wasn't long before people started to filter in and I took a seat at the large table.

The end seat was nice. No one directly next to you but still close enough to others to chat. On the right was Macha the Choreographer and the left was Takara the Actress. Takara and Macha were polar opposites: kind and blunt, teary and strong, delicate and harder. They still managed to have a civilised conversation... unlike two certain others. Chiyo and Satoshi are an example that will never get along. Their overbearing shouting made up most of the noise in the room.

For breakfast, we ate leftover sandwiches from last night and then the meeting went underway. The self-appointed leader started off,

“Today we should focus on finding a way out and if anything turns up then notify the group chat immediately. Any questions?”

Everyone agreed but one. Macha piped up with a good suggestion,  
“Shouldn’t we create a buddy system of sorts, like we go in pairs or something? That way everyone’s watched at all times, yeah?”

Kagi agreed with praise but, lounging in his chair, Ryu pitched in,  
“Two people wouldn’t be enough. It’d be better if there were three or four people per group, that way there’s always someone with another even if, say someone needed to split off for a moment.”

“Good addition, Ryu,” a large loving smile came onto his face as he scrunched a part of his Afro. Kagi then continued, “If there are no objections then please get into groups of three or four and get exploring.”

The groups formed naturally. Kagi quickly grabbed Akira for height and strength and Umeno for rationality. They said that they were the backup team and that they’d come running if an S.O.S was sent to one of the members.

I went to Isao as he asked before and Masuyu jumped in. She said,  
“Flat face! I ain’t seen enough of ya. Let’s go together!!” Her upbeat rudeness was still present.

Tadashi and Takara willingly took in Chiyo letting Satoshi relax more while exploring with her group. She deviated to Michi and Macha who had grabbed Ryu. Supposedly so that the brains and brawns would be evenly distributed, though some disagreed with Michi's reasoning.

Yorokobi and Yuri seemed to get along and with only Hibiki left, he attached himself to the two girls with a proclamation of how fun this was going to be.

Before we left, each group had a chat that could be left and joint at will. The teams made up names.  
“The Brains and The Brawns!!” were Michi, Macha, Satoshi and Ryu.  
Simply labelled, “S.O.S” was Akira, Kagi and Umeno.  
Hibiki called his group, “The Love Hotel” and was quickly renamed by Yuri to be “100/100/1”. Hibiki seemed down afterwards knowing that he was the 1.  
“Good Bois” was Takara, Tadashi and Chiyo, named by Chiyo with no better interjections from the other two.  
The only group to not be named was mine. Masuyu quickly thought up a name though, which was, “The Groovy Gang!

 

Settling on the names, we all split off into our groups and started to leave. We were stopped by Kagi after she had a quick chat with Yuri though as she said,  
“It has been brought to my attention that at some point, you may wish to change groups. If you do then you must message the S.O.S group, your current group and the group you wish to transfer to as so that the re-arrangement can be agreed... Thank you for your attention.”

With the speech over, we split up to which I consulted my group.  
“Any ideas on where to go?” Masuyu brought up the idea of heading to the library in the development sector as it could have clues as to why we’re here.

It was better than anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we've split off into groups but I think that the situation may get a little... complicated for the gang.  
> Stay tuned, Kiddos...
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER: May 11th
> 
> Have you got a favourite yet?  
> Vote here to tell me your favourites!: https://www.strawpoll.me/15553896
> 
> Don't forget to check my Tumblr for art and updates on An Ode To The Wronged. Feel free to ask me stuff or message me there too: https://ode-to-the-wronged.tumblr.com


	5. Act 1, Scene 3 - A Cracking Start

The library was at the very end of the long winding corridor in the upper level of development sector. Upon entering, a flood of colour washed over us. 

Hardwood oak shelves were packed full with books higher than my eye could see. The gold extravagant letters on the spines of the uppermost books were obscured.

When walking through the door one book shelf is placed right in front with the rest being around a corner into a forest themed alcove. How strange.

“This is a good place to start lookin’, right flatty?” Masuyu wrapped her arm around my neck and ruffled my hair. Her hand alone felt like it could crush my skull.  
With a simple nod, she released her arm and walked ahead.

Each book was different from the other, be it height, colour or even thickness. A few certainly stood out. It wasn’t the books contents though.

Coffee across the ages by Yuri Yamamoto

One kidney or two? by Akira Noroshi

Ultimate Playbook by Hibiki Aiko

Pulling them off the shelves, I scurried around searching for more with no avail but I had to stand on my tip toes to read some of the labels leading to many breaks. There were plenty of classics but one caught my eye. It seemed fresh and like it was placed there deliberately.

“Sano.”

Pulling it off the shelf, the book was much heavier than it seemed. The instant weight pulled me down onto the ground. Not testing my luck in strength, I sat down on the ground but before I opened the book...

Ba-ding.

We all looked up at once. It was the EFIIs. Doesn’t that mean someone already wants to transfer here, it’s only been 15 minutes?!

Smoothie joined The Groovy Gang!

To: The Groovy Gang!  
From: Smoothie  
Hey, Umeno here.  
Masuyu mind if we switch? Akira and Kagi need you to open up doors for them.

With no confirmation with us, Masuyu replied.

To: The Groovy Gang!  
From: Swiper  
Sure! ^3^ Where u @?

To: The Groovy Gang!  
From: Smoothie  
Main sector. Café. You?

To: The Groovy Gang!  
From: Swiper  
Library in Development! >w<

Swiper left The Groovy Gang!

“You’re leaving already?”

“Aw~ No need to be sad Isao. I’ll come back when they don’t need me anymore, okay?”

“I don’t care.” Isao went back to reading the book he was holding.

With a pout and a quick goodbye, Masuyu left the library.

Back to the book. Opening the simplistic cover, I was disappointed. It was a book on health, not me, but it was my fault for getting my own hopes up in the first place.

Albeit, I did get a little engrossed in learning about general health of a person. I’m such an idiot for not reading the author. The book was by Akira.

With a sigh I put the book back. That was a waste of... six minutes?! Ugh.

Wait. Shouldn’t Umeno be here? The main sector is only like a three minute walk.

“If you’re worried go check outside.” Isao glared at me. He obvious saw me pacing and got annoyed.

“Um. Okay.” 

Peering out the door, I didn’t see Umeno but I saw two others instead.  
“Hey Honey bun! What’re you doing here?” Michi ran over to me enveloping me in a hug but he didn’t answer instead Satoshi answered,  
“We’re going to the bathrooms. I need a fucking break from her.”  
I didn’t realise there was bathrooms across the hall.  
“Her?” I asked and Michi perked up as he released me.  
“Oh oh! I can answer this, Chiyo changed places with Ryu ‘cause she got super bored with Takara and Tadashi.”

“So where are you guys searching?”

“Just downstairs. We know Ryu and them already searched it but he said something ‘bout ‘triple checking never hurts’.”

After a small chat, Michi and Satoshi went into their respected bathrooms and I headed back inside.

In the alcove, Isao was now sat down reading a book. When I got closer he raised his head, staring at me with his lifeless eyes.

“People say my novels give them nightmares... That I paint an image so vivid, detailed, realistic that it haunts them.”

“How do you feel about them?”

“I find them to be bullshit. The stories are predictable and I feel that the amount of detail gives you a break from the drama. I tried changing my style but they said that little to no detail makes it boring and that the characters were two-dimensional.”

“I need to start reading more books... How about you recommended me one of yours?”

“I’d recommend, “The Martyr Adam.” It’s not a horror but it’s my favourite even though its ‘the worst novel I’ve ever written’.”

Fumbling with a few shelves, Isao turned around with tatters of a book in his hands. It was worn out and torn in many places, areas of the cover graffitied with crude images.  
“They couldn’t even get a good copy here... Read it if you want to.”

“Thanks Isao!”  
With a quick look at the clock I got worried. Umeno should be here by now. Maybe he’s just lost. Yeah, lost. He’ll be here soon.

Isao made a comment on it but I told him not to worry. I don’t have much authority, it seems. Elongated strides made him quicker to the door so I had to do a small jog to catch up.

With a loud crash and a sickly crunch, I quickly turned the corner but my eyes had already seen the worst.

Pink.

Pink liquid scattered across the floor. Isao was paler than usual and almost shaking in fear. He had his back against the bookshelf in surprise that caused a few books to fall into the liquid.  
Coming closer, my intuition was sadly correct.

Sprawled across the floor with glazed pale green eyes was Umeno. A large crack right down the front of his mask accompanied by a lodged knife. His red hair, now visible, stuck down to his dark freckled skin thanks to the blood.

A high-pitched scream could be heard from the other side of the door.

I felt sick and held myself up against the wall.

Is this real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... the first death is upon us.  
> I sincerely apologise if he was your favourite but for around a year now the deaths have been confirmed and he was always the first to go. Sorry kiddos but death isn’t kind.
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER: 11TH JUNE
> 
> TUMBLR: https://ode-to-the-wronged.tumblr.com


	6. What would have happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is what would have happened if I didn't lose inspiration for this story.

Act 1  
Umeno Tansenden [Jazz star] - Victim (Stabbed)  
Satoshi Rinkima [Track Star] - Killer

Act 2  
Yuri Yamamoto [Barista] - Victim (Burnt)  
Ryu Saket [Memory] - Killer

Act 3  
Masuyu Utemaro [Thief] - Victim (Beheaded)  
Yorokobi Watamote [Hunter] - Victim/Killer (Suicide)  
Isao Ninomiya [Horror Novelist] - Killer

Act 4  
Macha Nobuyuki [Choreographer] - Victim (Poisoned)  
chiyo Kazu [Occultist] - Killer

Sano finds out his talent is Ultimate Psychologist.

Act 5  
Akira Noroshi [Doctor] - Victim/Killer (Almost murdered then committed suicide)  
Kagi Tsu-Na [Astrologist] - Victim (Stabbed)  
Hibiki Aiko [Casanova] - Killer (Fake execution)

Sano figures out his full name is Sano Najima.

Act 6  
Hibiki Aiko [Casanova] - Mastermind  
Umeno Tansenden [Jazz Star] - Mastermind  
Sano Najima [Psychologist] - Mastermind

Survivours  
Michi Nobuyuki [Apparel Designer]  
Takara Minori [Actress]  
Tadashi Yasushi [Baker]


End file.
